Thursday, April 30, 2015

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs commenced with two games on Thursday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At New York:Alex Ovechkin had a hand in a pair of goals, scoring one on the power play in the first period, then assisting on Joel Ward's game winner with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation as the Washington Capitals, with Braden Holtby saving 31 of 32 shots, knocked off the New York Rangers on the road 2-1 in the opening game of their conference semifinal series.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Anaheim, California:Four-point nights from Corey Perry (two goals [one on the power play], two assists) and Ryan Retzlaff (one power-play goal, three assists) propelled the Anaheim Ducks to a conference-semifinal-series-opening 6-1 frontier-styled home fist-beating of the Calgary Flames.

The NBA Playoffs continued on Thursday with two games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Milwaukee:Mike Dunleavy scored 20 points as the Chicago Bulls, with all five starters scoring in double-figures, obliterated the Milwaukee Bucks 120-66 on the road in game six of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Bulls won four games to two. Chicago will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a best-of-seven conference semifinal series.The margin was four points shy of tying for the largest in NBA Playoff history (the Minneapolis Lakers annihilated the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956). It was the worst playoff defeat in Bucks history as nobody wearing a Milwaukee uniform scored in double-figures.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At San Antonio:Blake Griffin scored 26 points (and grabbed 12 rebounds) and Chris Paul added 19 (while dishing out 15 assists) as the Los Angeles Clippers squared their opening-round with the San Antonio Spurs at three games apiece with a 102-96 road win in game six. J.J. Redick scored 19 points to add to the Clippers' coffers. Marco Belinelli came off the bench to pace the Spurs with 23 points.The series----and a conference semifinal-series opponent for the Houston Rockets----will be decided in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Two games were played on Wednesday as the NBA Playoffs continued.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Atlanta:DeMarr Carroll scored 24 points while Al Horford (who pulled down 15 rebounds) and Jeff Teague each added 20 as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 107-97 in game five of their conference quarterfinal series. Alan Anderson scored 23 points off the bench to pace the Nets. The Hawks can close out the series---which they now lead three games to one---with a game-six victory in Brooklyn on Friday night.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Memphis:Marc Gasol scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while Courtney Lee added 20 as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 99-93 and won their conference quarterfinal series four games to one. C.J. McCollum paced the Blazers with a playoff-career-high 33 points while Damian Lillard added 22. In what may have been his final game in a Portland uniform, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out.The Grizzlies will open up their conference semifinal series against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors on Sunday in Oakland.

At Tampa, Florida:Braydon Coburn and Anton Stralman (empty net) each scored a third-period goal while Ben Bishop saved all 31 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the visiting Detroit Red Wings 2-0 and won their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series four games to three as the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs came to a close on Wednesday.The Lightning will open their best-of-seven conference semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday in Montreal.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The NBA Playoffs continued with two first-round games, both played on Tuesday in the Western Conference:At Houston:James Harden scored 28 points while Josh Smith added 20 and Dwight Howard 18 (to go with his 19 rebounds) as the Houston Rockets eliminated the Dallas Mavericks four games to one following their 103-94 home victory in game five of their conference quarterfinal series. Monta Ellis scored 25 points and Dirk Nowitski added 22 (to go with his 14 rebounds) to pace the Mavericks.At Los Angeles:Tim Duncan scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 111-107 on the road in game five of their first-round series, offsetting a 30-point, 14-rebound performance from the Clippers' Blake Griffin as well as a 21-point, 14-rebound effort by his teammate DeAndre Jordan, who was called for basket interference with 4.3 seconds remaining.The Spurs, who now lead three games to two, can close out the series with a game-six win back home in San Antonio on Thursday.

Monday, April 27, 2015

The NBA Playoffs continued on Monday with three games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Brooklyn, New York:Deron Williams scored 35 points while Brook Lopez added 26 (to go with his ten rebounds) as the Brooklyn Nets knocked off the visiting Atlanta Hawks 120-115 in overtime to square their conference quarterfinal series at two games apiece. Jeff Teague (who had eleven assists) and DeMarr Carroll (who pulled down nine rebounds) each scored 20 points for the Hawks.At Chicago:Michael Carter-Williams scored 22 points while Khris Middleton added 21 as the Milwaukee Bucks again staved off elimination with a 94-88 game-five road win over the Chicago Bulls. Pau Gasol scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Jimmy Butler added 20 and 10 respectively for the Bulls.With a three-games-to-two series lead, the Bulls can still oust the Bucks with a game-six win in Milwaukee on Thursday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Portland, Oregon:Damian Lillard scored 32 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 (to go with his 12 rebounds) as the Portland Trail Blazers came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and upended the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 99-92 in game four of their conference quarterfinal series, avoiding elimination in the process.Marc Gasol scored 21 points to pace the Grizzlies, who now lead the series three games to one, and who can still finish off the Blazers with a game-five victory back in Memphis on Wednesday.

Two games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs were played on Monday, with both contests in the Eastern Conference.At Washington:Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the game-and-series-winning goal with 7:18 remaining in regulation as the Washington Capitals defeated the visiting New York Islanders 2-1 in the seventh and deciding game of their conference quarterfinal series.With that series now won, the Capitals will next face the New York Rangers in a best-of-seven conference semifinal series.At Detroit:Tyler Johnson scored twice as the Tampa Bay Lighting squared their opening-round series with the Detroit Red Wings at three games apiece following their 5-2 game-six road domination. The series will conclude at Tampa on Wednesday.

Jayne Meadows Allen, an actress and comedienne who was, during the mid-to-late 1950s, a panelist on TV's original version of I've Got A Secret and who for many years was married to fellow entertainer Steve Allen, passed away from natural causes on Sunday at her Encino, California home at age 95.Jayne was the sister of Audrey Meadows, best remembered for portraying the role of Alice Kramden (Ralph's wife) on The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-55, 1956-57) and the classic 1955-56 filmed Honeymooners series.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

At Seattle:Clint Dempsey scored the only goal of the match in the 77th minute on Sunday as the Seattle Sounders defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 in a Major League Soccer contest that was also a Cascadia Cup contest.The Timbers will host the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps this coming Saturday in another Cascadia Cup match at 7:30 PM (ROOT Sports Northwest).

Four games in the NBA Playoffs were contested on Sunday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Boston:LeBron James scored 27 points, grabbed ten rebounds, and dished out eight assists while Kyrie Irving added 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a four-game conference quarterfinal series sweep of the Boston Celtics with a 101-93 game-four road victory. Isaiah Thomas and Jared Sullinger (who grabbed 11 rebounds) each scored 21 points for the Celtics.At Washington:Bradley Beal scored 23 points while Marcin Gortat added 21 (to go with his 11 rebounds) as the Washington Wizards completed a four-game opening-round series sweep of the Toronto Raptors with a 125-94 game-four home fist-beating. Kyle Lowry paced the Raptors with 21points.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At San Antonio:Chris Paul scored 34 points while Blake Griffin added 20 to go with his 19 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers squared their conference quarterfinal series at two games apiece following their 114-105 game-four road win over the San Antonio Spurs, despite 22 points and 14 rebounds from the Spurs' ageless Tim Duncan and 26 points from teammate Kawhi Leonard.At Dallas:Monta Ellis scored 31 points to help the Dallas Mavericks avoid elimination with a 121-109 game-four home win over the Houston Rockets. James Harden scored 24 points, Josh Smith added 23, and Corey Brewer 22 for the Rockets, who can still lead the series three games to one and can still finish off the Mavericks with a game-five win back home in Houston on Tuesday night.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday with two games.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At St. Paul, Minnesota:Zach Parise scored twice (once shorthanded) while Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 of 31 shots as the Minnesota Wild finished off the visiting St. Louis Blues 4-1 and won their conference quarterfinal series four games to two. Next up for the Wild, a Western Conference semifinal series against the Chicago Blackhawks.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Ottawa:Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty (empty net) each scored a goal while Carey Price stopped 43 shots as the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on the road in game six and won their conference quarterfinal series four games to two.The Canadiens will next take on the winner of the Detroit-Tampa Bay series (Red Wings lead three games to two).

Saturday, April 25, 2015

At San Jose, California:In Saturday Arena Football League action, the San Jose SaberCats (5-0) downed the visiting Portland Thunder (2-3) 64-45. San Jose quarterback Erik Meyer threw for seven touchdowns, three of them to O.J. Stephens (who caught 10 passes for 171 yards).

Four contests are on the Saturday NBA Playoff slate.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Brooklyn, New York:Brook Lopez scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Thaddeus Young added 18 and 11 in those respective categories as the Brooklyn Nets knocked off the visiting Atlanta Hawks 91-83 to cut the Hawks' conference-quarterfinal series lead to two games to one. DeMarre Carroll scored a playoff-career-high 22 points to pace Atlanta.At Milwaukee:Jerryd Bayless made a layup at the buzzer to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a season-extending 92-90 game-four home victory over the Chicago Bulls. O.J. Mayo paced Milwaukee with 18 points as the Bucks avoided elimination despite 33 points from the Bulls' Jimmy Butler. Chicago, who still leads the conference quarterfinal series three games to one, can still finish off the Bucks with a game-five win back home on Monday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At New Orleans:Stephen Curry delivered six three-pointers (on eight such shots) during a 39-point, nine-assist, eight-rebound night while Klay Thompson scored 25 points of his own as the Golden State Warriors completed a four-game conference-quarterfinal series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans 109-98 on the road. Draymond Green added 22 points and 10 rebounds to the Warriors' coffers while Anthony Davis scored 36 points (and grabbed 11 rebounds) and Eric Gordon added 29 for the Pelicans.Golden State will next take on the Portland-Memphis winner in a Western Conference semifinal series.At Portland, Oregon:Marc Gasol scored 25 points while Courney Lee added 20 as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 115-109 on the road in game three of their conference quarterfinal series. The Grizzlies will go for a four-game sweep of the series on Monday night in Portland. Niclolas Batum paced the Blazers with 27 points, while C.J. McCallom added 26, Damien Lillard 22, and LaMarcus Aldridge 21.All times Pacific

Four games are on the Stanley Cup Playoff schedule for Saturday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Uniondale, Long Island, New York:In what might still be the final game at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, John Tavares, Cal Clutterbuck, and Nikolay Kulemin each scored a goal while Jaroslav Halak stopped 38 of 39 shots as the New York Islanders squared their conference quarterfinal series at three games apiece with a 3-1 home win in game six against the Washington Capitals. The series will be decided on Monday at Washington with the winner set to face the New York Rangers in a conference semifinal series.At Tampa, Florida:Petr Mrazek saved all 28 shots as the Detroit Red Wings took a three-games-to-two series lead following their 4-0 game-five road beat-down of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Riley Sheahan (power play), Drew Miller, Pavel Datsyuk (power play), and Danny DeKeyser (empty net) each scored a goal for the Red Wings, who can close out the series with a game-six win back in Detroit on Monday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Chicago:Duncan Keith scored the game-winning goal at 16:12 of the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3 in game six of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Blackhawks won four games to two. Chicago will face the St. Louis-Minnesota winner in the second round.At Calgary, Alberta:Michael Ferland and Jiri Hudler each scored twice while Matt Stajan scored the game winner with 4:17 remaining in regulation as the Calgary Flames overcame a 3-0 first-period deficit and upended the visiting Vancouver Canucks 7-4 in game six and won their first-round series four games to two. The Flames, who won a playoff series for the first time since 2004 (when they last reached the Stanley Cup Final) will next take on the Anaheim Ducks in a conference semifinal series.

Friday, April 24, 2015

The NBA Playoffs continued with three Friday contests.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Washington:Marcin Gortat scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Washington Wizards took a commanding three-games-to-none conference-quarterfinal series lead following their 106-99 home victory over the Toronto Raptors, despite 32 points from the guests' DeMar DeRozan. The Wizards can complete the four-game series sweep with a game-four home victory on Sunday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Dallas:James Harden scored 42 points while Dwight Howard grabbed 26 rebounds (to go with his 13 points) as the Houston Rockets---with six players scoring in double-figures---held off the home-standing Dallas Mavericks 130-128 in game three of their opening-round series, despite 34 points each from the Mavericks' Monta Ellis (for him, a career playoff high) and Dirk Nowitzki. The Rockets can close out the series with a game-four win in Dallas on Sunday.At San Antonio:Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points as the San Antonio Spurs took a two-games-to-one first-round series lead after playing roughshod over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 100-73 in game three.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Friday with three games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At New York City:Carl Hagelin scored the game-winning (and series-ending) goal at 10:52 of overtime as the New York Rangers defeated the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 to win their opening-round playoff series four games to one. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 37 of 38 Pittsburgh shots.At Montreal:With Eril Karlsson and Bobby Ryan each scoring a power-play goal and Craig Anderson stopping 45 of 46 shots, the Ottawa Senators dominated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 5-1 in game five of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Canadiens still lead three games to two. The Senators will try to square the series at three games apiece by winning game six Sunday night back home in Ottawa.WESTERN CONFERENCE:Marco Scandella, Nino Niederreiter, Mikko Koivu (power play), and Charlie Coyle each scored a goal while Devan Dubnyk forgot his game-four embarrassment and stopped 36 of 37 shots as the Minnesota Wild downed the visiting St. Louis Blues 4-1 to take a three-games-to-two conference-quarterfinal series lead. The Wild can close out the Blues with a game-six home win at St. Paul on Sunday.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Three games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Thursday.All Times Pacific.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Boston:LeBron James scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Kevin Love added 23 (to go with his nine rebounds) as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 103-95 in game three of their conference quarterfinal series. The Cavaliers, who lead the series three games to none, can finish off the Celtics with a game-four victory in Boston on Sunday. Evan Turner had 19 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists for Boston.

At Milwaukee:

Derrick Rose scored 34 points while Jimmy Butler added 24 as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 113-106 in double overtime in game three of their first-round series. Giannis Antetokounmpf paced the Bucks with 25 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. The Bulls, who now lead the series three games to none, can finish off the series with a victory in game four in Milwaukee on Saturday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At New Orleans:

Stephen Curry scored 40 points and dished out nine assists while Klay Thompson tacked on 28 as the Golden State Warriors, who entered the fourth quarter trailing by 20 points, came from behind to upend the home-standing New Orleans Pelicans 123-119 in overtime to take a three-games-to-two series lead, spoiling a 29-point, 15-rebound performance from the Pelicans' Anthony Davis and a 26-point performance off the bench from teammate Ryan Anderson. The Warriors can conclude the series with a game-four victory Saturday night in New Orleans.

Four games were contested as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday.All times Pacific.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Washington:Evgeny Kuznetsov scored twice as the Washington Capitals defeated the visiting New York Islanders 5-1 in game five of their conference quarterfinal series. The Capitals, who now lead three games to two, can finish off the Islanders with a game-five victory at Uniondale, Long Island on Saturday. If that's the case, it would be the Islanders' final appearance at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (their home since 1972) before moving to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season.At Detroit:Tyler Johnson scored a pair of goals, including the game winner at 2:25 of overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning squared their opening-round series with the Detroit Red Wings at two games apiece following their 3-2 road win in game four.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Nashville, Tennessee:Filip Forsberg delivered his first career hat trick (and the first in his team's postseason history) as the Nashville Predators avoided elimination with a 5-2 game-five home win over the Chicago Blackhawks, who still lead their conference quarterfinal series three to two, and who can still finish off the Predators with a game-six victory in Chicago on Saturday.At Vancouver, British Columbia:Daniel Sedin scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period while Ryan Miller stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Vancouver Canucks stayed alive in their opening-round series with a 2-1 home win over the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller played well in defeat, stopping 41 of 43 shots as the Flames can still oust the Canucks with a victory at home in game six on Saturday.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Four games were played on Wednesday as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Pittsburgh:Kevin Hayes scored the winning goal 3:14 into overtime as the New York Rangers knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on the road in game four of their conference quarterfinal series, which they now lead three games to one. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 of 23 shots for the victory. The Rangers can wrap up the series with a game-five home win on Friday.At Ottawa:Mike Hoffman scored the only goal of the game in the third period while Craig Anderson stopped all 28 shots as the Ottawa Senators avoided elimination and defeated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in game four of their opening-round series. The Habs, who still lead the series three games to one, can still close out the Senators on home ice on Friday with a victory in game five.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At St. Paul, Minnesota:Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice as the St. Louis Blues leveled their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild at two games apiece following their 6-1 game-four road demolition.At Winnipeg, Manitoba:Ryan Kesler scored twice in the third period as the Anaheim Ducks completed a four-game sweep of their conference quarterfinal series with the Winnipeg Jets with their 5-2 game-four road victory. The Ducks become the first team to advance to the second round while the current Jets organization (the former Atlanta Thrashers; they moved to Winnipeg in 2011) is now 0-8 in playoff games.

The NBA Playoffs continued on Wednesday with three games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Atlanta:Paul Milsap scored 19 points as the Atlanta Hawks, with five players scoring in double-figures, held off the visiting Brooklyn Nets 96-91 to take a conference-quarterfinal-series two-games-to-none lead, despite 20 points from the Nets' Brook Lopez and 19 from ex-Hawk Joe Johnson.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Memphis, Tennessee:Mike Conley and Courtney Lee each scored 18 points as the Memphis Grizzlies overpowered the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 97-82 despite 24 points and 14 rebounds from the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge. The Grizzlies now lead their first-round series two games to none.At Los Angeles:Tim Duncan scored 28 points (and grabbed 11 rebounds) while Kawhi Leonard added 23 as the San Antonio Spurs leveled their series with the Los Angeles Clippers at one game apiece following their 111-107 game-two win on the road, offsetting Blake Griffin's first playoff-career triple-double (29 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists), Chris Paul's 21 points, and DeAndre Jordan's 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Stanley Cup playoff continued on Tuesday with four games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Detroit:Pavel Datsyuk, Riley Sheahan (power play), and Luke Glendening (empty net) each delivered a goal while Petr Mrazek stopped all 22 shots as the Detroit Red Wings blanked the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 to take a two-games-to-one conference quarterfinal series lead.At Uniondale, Long Island, New York:Nicklas Backstrom scored the winning goal 11:09 into overtime as the Washington Capitals squared their series with the New York Islanders at two games apiece following their 2-1 game-four road victory.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Calgary, Alberta:Johnny Gaudreau (power play), Jiri Hurdler (power play), and Sam Bennett each scored a first-period goal while Jonas Hiller stopped 28 of 29 shots as the Calgary Flames defeated the visiting Vancouver Canucks 3-1. The Flames, who lead their conference-quarterfinal series three games to one, can close out the Canucks with a game-five victory on Thursday in Vancouver.At Chicago:Brent Seabrook scored the winning goal one minute into the third overtime period as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the visiting Nashville Predators 2-1. Goaltender Scott Darling stopped 50 of 52 shots. The Hawks, who now lead their first-round series three games to one, can finish off the Predators with a game-five win in Nashville on Thursday.

The NBA Playoffs continued with three games on Tuesday night.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Cleveland:LeBron James scored 30 points---15 of them in the fourth quarter, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out seven assists while Kyrie Irving added 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the visiting Boston Celtics 99-91 in game two of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Cavaliers now lead two games to none. Isaiah Thomas paced the Celtics with 22 points.At Toronto:John Wall scored 26 points and dished out 17 assists while Bradley Beal paced all scorers with 28 points as the Washington Wizards again defeated the Toronto Raptors on the road, this time 117-106 in the second game of their opening-round series, which the Wizards now lead two games to none. DeMar DeRozan topped the Raptors with 20 points.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Houston:Dwight Howard scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while James Harden scored an additional 24 as the Houston Rockets stretched their conference-quarterfinal series with the Dallas Mavericks to two games to none following their 111-99 game-two home victory. Monta Ellis scored 24 points to pace the Mavericks.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Two NBA Playoff games were played on Monday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Chicago:Jimmy Butler scored a playoff-career high 31 points as the Chicago Bulls extended their conference-quarterfinal series lead to two games to none following their 91-82 game-two home win over the Milwaukee Bucks despite 22 points from the guests' Khris Middleton.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Oakland, California:Klay Thompson scored 26 points and Stephen Curry added 22 as the Golden State Warriors took control of matters in the fourth quarter and held off the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 97-87 in game two of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Warriors now lead two games to none. Anthony Davis scored 26 points (and grabbed 10 rebounds) and Eric Gordon added 23 to pace the Pelicans. Golden State has now won 20 straight home games.

Three games were played on Monday as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Pittsburgh:Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider each scored a goal while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 23 of 24 shots as the New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on the road in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Rangers now lead two games to one.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At St. Paul, Minnesota:Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, and Nino Niederreiter (empty net) each scored a goal while Deven Dubnyk stopped all 17 shots for the shutout as the Minnesota Wild took a two-games-to-one conference-quarterfinal series lead following their 3-0 game-three home domination of the St. Louis Blues.At Winnipeg, Manitoba:In the first Stanley Cup Playoff contest to take place in Manitoba's capital city since 1996, Rickard Rakell scored the winning goal 5:12 into overtime as the Anaheim Ducks again overcame a third-period deficit and defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-4 in game three of their opening-round series. The Ducks, who lead the series three games to none, can finish off the Jets (who, in their current incarnation, are 0-7 in playoff games, dating back to their Atlanta days) with a game-four victory Wednesday night in Winnipeg.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

At the Bronx, New York City:Dairon Asprilla scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute on Sunday as the Portland Timbers went into Yankee Stadium and picked up their first Major League Soccer road win of the season, 1-0 over New York City.Goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey made five saves in picking up his third shutout of the campaign.The Timbers' next game is next Sunday night at Seattle against the Sounders in a nationally-televised Cascadia Cup clash (6:30 PM Pacific Time, Fox Sports 1).

Four games were played on Sunday as the NBA Playoffs continued.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Cleveland:Kyrie Irving scored 30 points while LeBron James added 20 as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Boston Celtics 113-100 in the opening game of their conference quarterfinal series. Isaiah Thomas paced the Celtics with 22 points (to go with his ten rebounds).At Atlanta:Kyle Korver scored 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks held off the visiting Brooklyn Nets 99-92 in game one of their opening-round series.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Memphis:Beno Udrih scored 20 points while Zach Randolph (who grabbed 11 rebounds) and Mike Conley each added 16 as the Memphis Grizzlies took the opening game of their conference-quarterfinal series with the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86 at home, despite 32 points and 14 rebounds from the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge. At Los Angeles:Chris Paul scored 32 points and Blake Griffin added 26 (to go with his 12 rebounds) as the Los Angeles Clippers downed the visiting San Antonio Spurs 107-92 in the opening contest of their best-of-seven first-round series.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday with four games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Uniondale, Long Island, New York:John Tavares scored the winning goal 15 seconds into sudden death overtime as the New York Islanders defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 2-1 in the third game of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Islanders now lead two games to one.At Ottawa:Dale Weise scored the last two goals, the first, at 14:13 of the third period to force overtime, then the game winner at 8:47 of the extra period as the Montreal Canadiens came from behind to upend the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in game three of their first-round series. The Canadiens, who now lead the series three games to none, can finish off the Senators with a game-four victory on Ottawa ice on Wednesday night.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Chicago:Jonathan Toews, Andrew Desjardins, Brandon Saad, and Brent Seabrook each scored a goal as the Chicago Blackhawks grabbed a two-games-to-one conference-quarterfinal series lead following their 4-2 game-three home win over the Nashville Predators. Hawks goalie Scott Darling saved 35 of 37 shots.At Calgary, Alberta:T.J. Brodie had a goal and an assist as the Calgary Flames took a two-games-to-one advantage in their series with the Vancouver Canucks following their 4-2 game-three home victory.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

At Phoenix:Quarterback Nick Davila completed 31 of 44 passes for 319 yards and nine touchdowns, six of them to Rod Windsor (who caught 14 passes for 141 yards) on Saturday night as the Arizona Rattlers (3-1) defeated the visiting Portland Thunder (2-2) 65-47 in Arena Football League action.

Four games are on the Stanley Cup Playoffs itinerary for Saturday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Tampa, Florida:Tyler Johnson scored twice (once on the power play) while Ben Bishop stopped 24 of 25 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning leveled their conference quarterfinal series with the Detroit Red Wings at one game apiece following their 5-1 game-two home demolition of the Motor City club.At New York City:Sidney Crosby scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins equalized their series with the New York Rangers at one game apiece following their game-two 4-3 road win.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At St. Louis:Vladimir Tarasenko delivered his first-career Stanley Cup Playoff hat trick (one of the goals was on the power play, another one was an empty netter) while Jake Allen stopped 24 of 25 shots as the St. Louis Blues squared their opening-round series with the Minnesota Wild with an easy 4-1 game-two home triumph.At Anaheim, California:Jakob Silfverberg scored the winning goal with 21 seconds remaining in regulation as the Anaheim Ducks again rallied from behind in the third period to upend the visiting Winnipeg Jets 2-1 for a two-games-to-none series lead. The current Jets organization is now 0-6 in playoff games (in their one previous playoff appearance, in 2007 when the club was still based in Atlanta, they were swept in four straight games by the New York Rangers).